Minister: Shooting of black man by white officer racist

[Lite Beer]

Minister: Shooting of black man by white officer racist
BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press
PHILLIP LUCAS, Associated Press

SUMMERVILLE, South Carolina (AP) — The death of a black man shot in the back while fleeing a white police officer was the act of a racist cop, a minister told hundreds of mourners who gathered Saturday for the funeral of Walter Scott.

"All of us have seen the video," the Rev. George Hamilton, the minister at W.O.R.D. Ministries Christian Center, told an overflow congregation. "There is no doubt in my mind and I feel that Walter's death was motivated by racial prejudice." Authorities have not said whether race was a factor in the shooting.

Scott was a father of four and Coast Guard veteran whose death sparked outrage as another instance of a white law officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man under questionable circumstances. The shooting last weekend in North Charleston was captured on a dramatic cellphone camera video by a man who was walking past.

About 450 people including Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the two black members of South Carolina's congressional delegation, gathered in the sanctuary of the church where Scott had worshipped.

About 200 more people waited outside beneath the portico of the church or under umbrellas in the rain because the sanctuary had reached capacity.

Hamilton called Michael Slager — the officer involved in the shooting and who has been charged with murder and fired — a disgrace to the North Charleston Police Department.

"This particular cop was a racist. You don't Tase a man and then shoot," the minister said. But he added "we will not indict the entire law enforcement community for the act of one racist."

Hamilton said that the Scott family could take comfort in the fact that Slager was captured on the video, was charged and will face justice.

Scott was remembered as a gentle soul and a born-again Christian. "He was not perfect," the minister said, adding that nobody is.

The two-hour service included spirituals and remembrances of the 50-year-old Scott.

Those who waited outside were able to enter at the end of the service and file by Scott's open casket covered in an American flag and surrounded with sprays of flowers.

Scott's family arrived in a fleet of three black limousines followed by several other vehicles. Dozens who were waiting outside held up their cellphones trying to capture the scene as Scott's casket was unloaded from the hearse and wheeled inside.

Police initially said Scott was shot on April 4 during a tussle over Slager's department-issued Taser. But the video taken by the bystander and released last Tuesday showed Slager firing eight times as Scott ran away.

Scott was driving a 1991 Mercedes that he bought from a neighbor and was headed to an auto parts store when he was stopped, his brother Rodney Scott said.

Police said he had a broken tailight. Video from the police car's dashboard camera shows Slager asking Scott for his license and registration, then heading back to his cruiser before Scott gets out of the car and runs.

Scott's relatives have said they suspect he fled Slager out of fear of being jailed again over missed child support payments.

At the time he was stopped, Scott, who worked as a warehouse forklift operator, owed more than $18,000 in child support and court fees, according to Charleston County records.

Clyburn said he hoped some good could come from the tragedy.

"I think this is a catalyst to get people to face up to the fact that we've got problems in this country," he said. "I think this exposed something that is already there."

Clyburn also said that it didn't make sense for Scott to face jail for failing to pay child support. That caused Scott to lose a $35,000-a-year job, making it impossible for him to pay.

Scott, who grew up in North Charleston, said the incident provides an opportunity for local law enforcement agencies to re-evaluate their operations. On the national level, he said, it's a chance to promote the use of body cameras by police agencies nationwide.

Those who knew Scott remembered him as lighthearted and gentle. They describe a laid-back, fun-loving man who took his girlfriend dancing on weekends. Scott had been married twice, and proposed to his girlfriend Charlotte Jones about a week before he was killed.

___

Associated Press reporter Alex Sanz contributed to this report.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-04-12

[stevenl]

People should refrain from inciting until at least we really know it was racist or not.

[HeijoshinCool]

Sounds like the minister is a frying pan calling the kettle black.

[tx22cb]

It's very dangerous, and plain stupid, to try to run away from an armed officer and to disobey his orders. You may not deserve to get shot, but you're going to get hurt.

[puck2]

It's rather a vocational education problem of the US police than a race problem. The job training lasts only a few months. The consequences: a distastrous behaviour in critical situations as proven so many times, and here again. Some feel and act like the kings of the world although they should respect "normal" human behaviour and the law. The power they received by the (law) status many times cannot control their brain and feelings. They have the duty to protect the people and not to violate or kill them, even in serious conflicts. They are not trained to control their violence and that of the people. Violence produces only new violence.

May I repeat it - this happens for a lack of a qualified job education.

Edited April 12, 2015 by puck2

[Credo]

I would tend to agree about the training. It seems that something has gone seriously wrong. I've known a few police officers in the past and they seemed to be a lot less trigger happy. I remember one saying something about someone who ran away, they would get him next time. There was never any consideration about shooting him.

[jerojero]

Duh! No kidding.

[Publicus]

Police in the United States have always been against civil rights, black people especially.

It's hard to reverse or even neutralize 400 years of it. Police were arresting ML King everywhere he went, and arresting everyone around him or with him, setting the police dogs and fire hoses on them besides.

Most police in most police departments have come to handle their duties professionally and in an exemplary fashion, to include in particular most chiefs in the biggest cities. There are 18,000 police departments and something like 750K cops in the US and we only hear extreme negatives about several of either or a couple of dozen of them over time.

A lot of police commanders have a 2-year degree in Criminal Justice or often higher, but the only education requirement for the average cop is a high school diploma or the equivalent, and being able to shoot straight.

We're putting guns and armored personnel carriers in the hands of high school graduates who patrol our cities. Too many of these guys have never accepted civil rights laws or the black civil rights movements.

They certainly don't accept a black president. The Fraternal Order of Police declined to endorse Barack Obama in 2008 or in 2012. The Order has never endorsed a Democrat for president. And the FOP has no kinds words to say about this one.

[hard124get]

Of course it is racist , the only way to deal with it is to lock up the guilty officers for life.

[MikeOboe57]

It's very dangerous, and plain stupid, to try to run away from an armed officer and to disobey his orders. You may not deserve to get shot, but you're going to get hurt.

Off the cuff I can only name three countries where law enforcement officials shoot/shot unarmed civilians in the back when they try/tried to flee:

- Former East Germany

- China

- North Korea

Keeping good company I see.

[Grouse]

It seems that I am not permitted to express what I actually feel without being labeled a troll!

But are you really saying that you need training to learn not to shoot someone unless ABSOLUTELY necessary?

How about common sense and humanity?

[F430murci]

It's very dangerous, and plain stupid, to try to run away from an armed officer and to disobey his orders. You may not deserve to get shot, but you're going to get hurt.

Off the cuff I can only name three countries where law enforcement officials shoot/shot unarmed civilians in the back when they try/tried to flee:

- Former East Germany

- China

- North Korea

Keeping good company I see.

Do these countries have police that encounter well armed, dangerous, gang bangers high on drugs that won't think twice about shooting someone. In many urban US areas, cops are working in areas that are like war zones dealing with gang bangers and people that place little or no value on human life. I have literally worked on cases where someone got shot over a piece of chicken.

I don't think cops in China and North Korea constantly face face well armed thugs on a day to basis that are not afraid to shot cops or others.

That said, how many other cases inn 2015 involve a cop shooting an unarmed, black civilian in the back? This cop did wrong and he will be prosecuted.

[sgtsabai]

When I went through the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy way back in the '80s we were taught over and over again to NOT shoot a fleeing suspect unless we absolutely knew he/she presented a clear and present danger and that even in that case we would be facing one hell of a lot of questions, probably in front of a grand jury, and not one like the grand jury in Ferguson. That was reinforced over and over again throughout my career. Hey we were even taught civil rights and liberties, I was the head of the class on those...lol. It seems that cops these days shoot first and ask questions later. Times have, unfortunately, changed with the militarized policing present today. The police are more like an occupying force, but they have long been rightly perceived as such in minority communities. My bet, unfortunately the cop will walk without the deserved jail time.

[Alwyn]

SUMMERVILLE, South Carolina (AP) — The death of a black man shot in the back while fleeing a white police officer was the act of a racist cop, a minister told hundreds of mourners who gathered Saturday for the funeral of Walter Scott. Well he's been arrested for murder so they should shut up really. It's a fact that more whites are shot by police than blacks yet 80% of crime is committed by blacks apparently so I don't get the racist angle. I read somewhere police shoot 5 whites to 1 black so the odds are pretty good for the blacks, they just make more of a fuss about it and call the racism card and then the racism goes the other way when you get ministers like this inciting racism and violence. Why can it not be "Bloke gets shot in back by police and arrested for murder"?

[F430murci]

Below are the average cop deaths and assault injuries per year for the last 10 years:

149 deaths per year 58,930 assaults per year 15,404 injuries per year

By way of contrast, only 12 British cops have been killed in the line of duty in the last 10 years.

US cops are working in urban war zones in some areas, unlike cops in UK, China, North Korea and etc.

__________

Death, Assault and Injuries of US Cops over the last 10 years

http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/daifacts.html

List of British police officers killed in the line of duty

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_police_officers_killed_in_the_line_of_duty

[Credo]

There is a little bit of a difference in the size of the population between the US and Britain.

And if it's such a wonderful place, I wonder why so many leave the country for SE Asia?

[sgtsabai]

Oh brother, watch the racists come out of the woodwork to defend the white race. Have at it little boys, I'm sure this thread will soon fill up with racist bullshit, some thinly disguised some not so much, before long and you can deny, deny, deny all you want, racism is written all over many of these posts. The problem is many can't/won't admit their own racism. I don't know that the cop was actually a racist, but I do know he was white and murdered a black man and no the community shouldn't shut up, they should never shut up.

[tonypace02]

Of course it is racist , the only way to deal with it is to lock up the guilty officers for life.

Wrong. This cop needs to fry.

And this cop does not need job training, he needs humanity training. This happened in South Carolina, one of the most racist states in America.

Also, another black man from Sommerville, S.C., is reopening a complaint he filed against Slager for excessive force in 2013. Slager at the time claimed that the man was going for his Taser. His partner backed him up and the complaint was dismissed. I wonder if it is only these two or if all the African-American men in Sommerville have a desire for Slager's Taser.

[F430murci]

There is a little bit of a difference in the size of the population between the US and Britain.

And if it's such a wonderful place, I wonder why so many leave the country for SE Asia?

Well run the ratios if you think you have such a brilliant idea.

Approximately 750,000 cops in US and 130,000 in UK. At that ratio, there would be about 26 British cops killed in the line per year, not 1.

Use California as example with about 100,000 cops . . .

Cops in the urban US cities are also trained in defense, well armed with pistols, assault rifles and shotguns and they are still getting shot and sometimes killed. I shutter to think what the US cop death rate would be if US cops were not well armed.

Edited April 12, 2015 by F430murci

[F430murci]

Oh brother, watch the racists come out of the woodwork to defend the white race. Have at it little boys, I'm sure this thread will soon fill up with racist bullshit, some thinly disguised some not so much, before long and you can deny, deny, deny all you want, racism is written all over many of these posts. The problem is many can't/won't admit their own racism. I don't know that the cop was actually a racist, but I do know he was white and murdered a black man and no the community shouldn't shut up, they should never shut up.

Unlike the idiots, intelligent not prejudicial people cite figures and objective data. Citing objective data and discussions about the stress police are under in urban cities does not make one a racist. Intelligent people examine the numbers and the data and information behind the numbers before jumping to subjective explanations that may or may not be true.

[sgtsabai]

I know all too well the stress cops are under. Today's cops create much of it. They are perceived as the enemy, and in many cases rightly so. They serve and protect the white rich, as they always have. Check the history of how many they killed breaking strikes. How soon we forget the real history of our country.

[F430murci]

I know all too well the stress cops are under. Today's cops create much of it. They are perceived as the enemy, and in many cases rightly so. They serve and protect the white rich, as they always have. Check the history of how many they killed breaking strikes. How soon we forget the real history of our country.

Lol, you obviously have no clue.

Cops are getting killed and injured in Urban areas trying to protect blacks from other blacks where black on black and gang violence violence is going through the roof and is a daily way of life.

More white perpetrators than black are killed while cops are protecting themselves and all citizens, not just the rich whites.

Dude, you need to examine your own issues of racism before calling others racists. You are the one that is all hung up on "rich whites" and calling white people "red necks."

Edited April 12, 2015 by F430murci

[F430murci]

I know all too well the stress cops are under. Today's cops create much of it. They are perceived as the enemy, and in many cases rightly so. They serve and protect the white rich, as they always have. Check the history of how many they killed breaking strikes. How soon we forget the real history of our country.

BTW . . .

Your use of the phrase "our country" is a bit offensive. You left the US, don't live here and contribute nothing to the US at that time.

Sitting in a far away land bellyaching about the US does not make one a concerned citizen. Your use of the phrase "our country" to somehow make you appear objective or caring is nauseating. You don't give two cents about the US. You have a big chip on your shoulder about the US relating many personal issues you have illustrated in other threads.

[sgtsabai]

Well, I didn't say red necks, but I have no problem calling a peckerwood redneck a peckerwood redneck, face to face, wouldn't be the first time and I walk away. I have a clue, been there, done that and where I worked everybody was armed, well armed. My wife carried and needed to. Been shot at and missed, shit on and hit. Comprende' ese'? There are no actualy statistics kept on police violence nation wide btw. PD are not required to report to FBI etc.

But for your edification: As FiveThirtyEight notes:

In 2014 and March of 2015, Mapping Police Violence counted 297 people killed by police around the country who were unarmed. Of those people, 117 were African-American, 167 were not, and the project couldn't identify race for 13. That means 41 percent of unarmed people killed by police during that time in the database (with an identified race) were African-American, far out of proportion in a country that was 14 percent African-American in 2013.

And according to the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ), African Americans are the second "racial group most likely to be killed by law enforcement," following Native Americans. The CJCJ also noted:

African Americans, 13 percent of the population, are victims in 26 percent of police shootings. Law enforcement kills African Americans at 2.8 times the rate of white non-Latinos, and 4.3 times the rate of Asians.

[sgtsabai]

I paid my dues little boy, USMC Sgt-Vietnam 1966/67. Now get back on subject.

[yankee99]

hope they realize child support laws need revamping

[Ulysses G.]

Law enforcement kills African Americans at 2.8 times the rate of white non-Latinos, and 4.3 times the rate of Asians.

There is a reason for that. Black men commit nearly half of all murders in America, which is astounding when you take into consideration the fact that they only make up 12-13 per cent of the population.

[Credo]

Correction: Black men are convicted of nearly 1/2 of all murders.

[Ulysses G.]

Doesn't look good either way.

[Basil B]

Any Instances of an American black police officer shooting a unarmed white guy in the back???